in search of a good wildlife lens

Have a d7000 and will have about 1500 to spend ...really looking for a zoom lens ...what would yall recommend .
I've looked at the Nikon 80-400 mm the sigma 50-500mm and the 100-500mm..is there any thing else out there in the price range..will be shooting birds,deer,hogs etc...so will need to stay back 50-75 or maybe a 100 yards...thanks

---

› See More: in search of a good wildlife lens

In your price range I think the best option is the Nikkor 80-400mm. Great lens for the money and will be especially nice on a DX body.

I shoot a lot of wildlife and what I use as my primary lens is : Nikon 300mm F4 & 1.4 TC on a D3s or and now a D800. Works for me. The 80-400VR is way to slow, not very good in mornings or evenings when 90% of wildlife shoots occur. You would be better of with the Sigma 150-500.

Originally Posted by salvatore

I shoot a lot of wildlife and what I use as my primary lens is : Nikon 300mm F4 & 1.4 TC on a D3s or and now a D800. Works for me. The 80-400VR is way to slow, not very good in mornings or evenings when 90% of wildlife shoots occur. You would be better of with the Sigma 150-500.

Ahhh, the 80-400mm is slow, eh? I've not used one but have been considering it. I assumed you're talking about the AF being slow, right? Since the difference of 1 stop in aperture isn't all that significant, especially with the low light capabilities of the newer cameras.

Originally Posted by Mojo Dave

Ahhh, the 80-400mm is slow, eh? I've not used one but have been considering it. I assumed you're talking about the AF being slow, right? Since the difference of 1 stop in aperture isn't all that significant, especially with the low light capabilities of the newer cameras.

Yes it drove me crazy even with my D3s it was slow to focus. Shooting wildlife one stop is huge, it's the diffrence between a clean crisp image or just a so-so image.

If you have that kind of money to spend, go for a Nikkor lens. B&H has a good selection of the 80-400mm used with 8+ to 9+ (9+ is practically new) for grading and they are all under 1500. They also have a Tamron 200-500mm for sale, used. 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD IF Autofocus Lens

If you save your money a little longer,you might want to look into the Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 lens which will handle a1.4 Teleconverter.It's designed for a full frame camera,so I've read.The lens is fast,too.I shot the Sigma 50-500mm now and at 500mm
6.3 it needs alot of light.
LENS EXPLORATION: 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM, Part II | SIGMA Blog
This is my dream lens now,lol.

I'd look for a good used copy of a Nikon 300 f/4 and a 1.4 TC. I had te opportunity to take a few shots with one last Friday and really liked the images and focusing speed. Right now, I'm using the Sigma 150-500 HSM OS and while I like it, it really needs light at f/6.3 and 500mm.

+1 for the 300 f4 and teleconverters. I have seen superbly sharp images from that setup, and the samples I saw from the 80-400 at 400 made me shy away from it.